Employees Using Internet For Love and Porn, and Not Just on Valentine’s Day

Approximately one-quarter of U.S. employees use company computers to access sexual and/or romantic sites and chat rooms, according to the study “America at Work” released Tuesday by the Employment Law Alliance.

Moreover, 43 percent of the respondents aware of the usage feel that it certainly reduces their work productivity; the survey polled 826 employees at more than 800 companies across America.

According to Stephen Hirschfeld, founder and CEO of ELA, these findings are significant because they are the first to show that employees are not simply using the Web for personal use, but romantic, as well.

“Every American workplace has a story to tell about the casual use of company computers for personal purposes, and many of those stories reflect fairly benign behavior such as online shopping,” Hirschfeld stated in an ELA site press release.

“But now we get a clear and compelling insight into the significant use of workplace computers for more explicit sexual purposes well beyond online dating.”

Additional findings include:

• 12 percent said a coworker or they have accessed sexually explicit websites from a workplace computer
• 12 percent said a coworker or they have forwarded sexually explicit email content to coworkers
• 6 percent said a coworker or they have engaged in sexually explicit online chats or instant messenging during work
• 10 percent said a coworker or they have used the Web for online dating services during work
• 54 percent say these activities don’t have a negative impact on productivity

Excessive personal use of company computers has prompted many businesses, both small and large, to set regulations on employees. Although some bosses tolerate some private use, others completely forbid it.

So beware lonely and curious workers out there; your boss may be catching on to your ways. Play Cupid on your home computer.

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